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The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company (also known at various times as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, and Jim Henson Productions) is an American entertainment company, a leading producer of children's and family entertainment, and best known as the creator of the renowned Muppetscharacters. Founded in 1958 by Jim Henson, the company has produced such successful television series as The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, Bear in the Big Blue House, and Farscape, as well as creating the Muppet characters for the Sesame Workshop children's series, Sesame Street. Henson has also produced motion pictures including The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth. The company also operates Jim Henson's Creature Shop, a puppet, animatronics, and visual effects workshop. The Henson Company entered a merger agreement with The Walt Disney Company in 1989, but the deal fell through after founder Jim Henson's death in 1990, and the company was subsequently taken over by the Henson family. In 2000, Henson was sold to German media company EM.TV & Merchandising AG, but after EM.TV's stock collapsed, the company was sold back to the Henson family in 2003. In 2004, Henson sold the rights to the Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House to The Walt Disney Company, but retains the rest of its characters, program library, and assets. Events 2002 * Muppets Movie Preview: Kermit's Swamp Years '- Sunday, August 4 at 12:30PM. Every frog has a first adventure, and now you can get a sneak peek at Kermit’s! Kermit’s Swamp Years is the never-before-told story of how the world’s most famous frog left the swamp for the very first time and began an adventure that would change his life—and ours—forever. The panel guest include Michael Polis, Executive Producer and Jim Lewis, Writer and Executive Producer. Victor Yerrid, a puppeteer with a long history with The Jim Henson Company will perform and give audience members an opportunity to puppeteer real Muppets! 2003 * '''Henson Presents Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's MirrorMask '- Friday, July 18 at 4:30PM. MirrorMask, a Jim Henson Pictures production, is a new fantasy feature film in the tradition of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth scheduled for worldwide release in 2004. Renowned comic book writer and best-selling novelist Neil Gaiman and critically acclaimed multimedia artist Dave McKean created the story of an unforgettable journey through a world filled with magic, fantastic creatures, and illusion. Gaiman wrote the screenplay and McKean is directing the film using a combination of live-action and CG animation. This program offers an exclusive first look at images from the film, as well as a question-and-answer session with the creators and producers, including Gaiman, Mckean, and executive producers Lisa Henson (Good Boy!) and Michael Polis (Kermit's Swamp Years). 2004 * 'MirrorMask: Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean '- Friday, July 23 at 3:30PM. Renowned modern comic book writer and best-selling novelist Neil Gaiman and critically acclaimed multimedia artist Dave McKean join to create MirrorMask, their first feature together. Produced by Jim Henson Pictures, this story of an unforgettable journey through a world filled with magic, fantastic creatures, and illusion follows the tradition of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Gaiman wrote the screenplay and McKean directed the film using a combination of live-action and CG animation. * 'Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars Preview '- Saturday, July 24 at 2:30PM. This panel features Ben Browder (John Crichton), Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun), Rockne S. O'Bannon (Creator), Brian Henson (Director & Exec. Producer), and David Kemper (Exec. Prod). 2005 * 'MirrorMask Welcome Party '- Thursday, July 14 at 8:00PM. The catered event will be free to card-carrying CBLDF members and open to all others for a suggested $5 - $15 sliding scale donation. Attendees will also receive a MirrorMask Takeaway, courtesy of The Jim Henson Company, be entered into a special raffle, and view a trailer of the film. * 'The 50th Anniversary of the Jim Henson Company '- Friday, July 15 at 5:30PM. The late puppeteer and his characters will be paid homage during this presentation. In addition to rare old footage, the crowd will get some sneak peeks of projects. 2006 * 'The Jim Henson Presentation '- Friday, July 22 at 6:00PM. In discussing The Power of the Dark Crystal, the upcoming sequel to Jim Hensons beloved Dark Crystal, director Genndy Tartakovsky addressed the challenges of staying true to Hensons vision: Well recreate the look with the latest Henson puppet performance technology, but make the action faster paced. The performances need to be believable, like Yoda, while the background CG will have that lush look of the Dark Crystal forest. 2007 * 'The Skrumps '- Friday, July 27 at 4:15PM. The Jim Henson Company hosted a panel on The Skrumps with Halle Stanford, Lisa Henson, John Chandler, Craig Bartlett, and Brian Henson. The event included screenings of The Skrumps' Yahoo! Kids content and a special live demonstation of Raisins by Julianne Buescher. * 'Puppet Up! - Uncensored '- Friday, July 27 at 4:15PM. Also featured in the Henson appearance will be a live performance of sketch comedy from the company's stage show "Puppet Up! Uncensored" with Patrick Bristow, Julianne Buescher, and Michelan Sisti. 2008 * '''Farscape - Sunday, July 24 at 10:15AM. This is a dream opportunity for me – to get to continue the Farscape saga," O’Bannon said. "The comic book series starts off directly where the PEACEKEEPER WARS mini-series left us. It’s like we’re finally getting to experience Season Five of Farscape. Not only that, but the stories in the ongoing comic series will completely tie into the upcoming Farscape webisodes. Farscape lives!" "I can’t tell you how incredibly excited I am that Rockne will be part of the comic-book team. I’m a fan, and he’s one of the best writers around," said BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Mark Waid. "I’m doubly pleased that both Rockne and The Jim Henson Company folks have responded to the idea of making this series a direct continuation of the FARSCAPE TV series rather than an out-of-continuity tie-in. For fans of FARSCAPE, and with the show’s creator involved, the comic series will fill that outer-space-sized void the show once occupied. In short, it’s going to be frelling awesome!" * Fraggle Rock '- Sunday, July 27 at 2:45PM. Help celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Fraggle Rock and learn more about this fall's newest DVD release! Join Red—making a personal appearance—as she sneak peeks the DVD special features and some other DVD surprises! 2015 * '''Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge '- Friday, July 10 at 12:00PM. Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge on SyFy gave us a look into the artist life from design to final product. Gigi Edgley, the TV series' host, will give you direct access into this creative process. Kirk Thatcher, the series' Judge, has extensive experience in the Henson worlds that everyone has come to love. Beth Hathaway, Robert Bennett and Melissa Doss Diwa will be leading the panel too. Fans will get a chance to ask probing questions and inspire young artists to keep their dreams coming. There will also be a few small video clips, a puppeteer, and creatures. SyFy did not take on a second season, but rumors abound that there may be big news by the time SDCC happens. Sean Murphy, the MC, is working with both Kirk and Gigi on other projects. Who knows where the future may lead? There will be lots of smiles! 2019 * 'Farscape: The Official 20th Anniversary '- Monday, July 15 at 4:50PM. You're invited to a frelling awesome panel where creators and actors discuss their favorite moments from The Jim Henson Company's award-winning hit sci-fi series, now available on Amazon Prime. Featuring stars from the show including Ben Browder (Farscape, Stargate SG-1) as John Crichton, and Gigi Edgley (Farscape, Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge) as Chiana. Hear about this fall's Hollywood costume party and what the future holds for Farscape from Brian Henson (executive producer, director; chairman of The Jim Henson Company) and creator Rockne S. O'Bannon (Farscape, Defiance). Moderated by James Ganiere (CEO, Rio Vista Universal). * '''Netflix's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance '''- Friday, July 19 at 3:30PM. Netflix offers an exclusive sneak peek at the highly anticipated fantasy series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, based on Jim Henson's groundbreaking 1982 feature film, The Dark Crystal. In this stunning new prequel, three Gelfling discover the horrifying secret behind the Skeksis' power and set out on an epic journey to ignite the fires of rebellion and save their world. Realized using classic puppetry with cutting-edge visual effects, the cast and creators discuss all your burning questions about bringing Thra to life. Exclusives 1985 * San Diego Comic Con Program by DC Comics. 2002 * Invisible Fozzie Action Figure 2016 * Jim Henson's Labyrinth 30th Anniversary Special Edition by Archaia 2019 * Farscape Patch Set * The Dark Crystal Enamel Pin * Gelfling Ears * Funko Pop! Mira Toy * Fizzgig Replica Off-Site Events 2010 * '''The Hub TV Experience - Thursday, July 22 - Sunday, July 25 at 9:30AM. In Day 3, Karen Prell and Red Fraggle appeared again to promote Fraggle Rock’s upcoming run on the new network The Hub, with four sing-alongs of "the Fraggle Rock Theme", "Fraggle Rock Rock" and "Friendship Song", alternating with four autograph sessions throughout the day. The events where located around a small Fraggle Rock exhibit at the "The Hub TV Experience". 2019 * 'Netflix's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance '- Friday, July 19 at 3:30PM. Netflix offers an exclusive sneak peek at the highly anticipated fantasy series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, based on Jim Henson's groundbreaking 1982 feature film, The Dark Crystal. In this stunning new prequel, three Gelfling discover the horrifying secret behind the Skeksis' power and set out on an epic journey to ignite the fires of rebellion and save their world. Realized using classic puppetry with cutting-edge visual effects, the cast and creators discuss all your burning questions about bringing Thra to life. Category:Vendors